LMU dropped a close 4-3 decision with USF in the first round of the WCC Championships Wednesday.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Just as they have done for much of the season, the LMU men’s tennis team came up just short in the first round of the WCC Championships at the Barnes Tennis Center in San Diego, Calif. on Wednesday. For the second straight season, LMU was bounced 4-3 in the first round by the University of San Francisco.

In 2012, LMU was the No. 5 seed and USF was the No. 8 seed. That time the Dons were able to pull off the upset and advance to the second round. This year, the roles were reversed with LMU as the No. 8 seed trying to pull the shocker. For a while, it looked as if the Lions would avenge the 2012 loss as LMU held a late 3-2 lead. However, strong play at the top by the Dons would allow USF to come from behind for the team victory.

In the doubles round, USF won quickly on Court 1 before Nicholas Bjerke and Sebastian Bustamante of LMU would tie things up with an 8-4 win on Court 2. The doubles point would then be decided on Court 3, a match that found itself tied at 7-7. Going down to the wire, USF would prevail with the 9-7 win to secure the point.

Trailing 1-0 heading into the singles round, the Lions would need to win on four of the six courts to get the team win. The bottom half of the lineup came through for LMU, getting three early wins. Bustamante won 6-3, 6-4 on Court 4; Cristobal Rivera won 6-2, 6-2 on Court 5; and Felix Van Kann won 6-2, 6-2 on Court 6. These three quick, straight-set wins left the Lions one point shy of the upset. But the Dons would prevail on Courts 1-3, giving them just enough to take the 4-3 decision.

The Lions’ season ends at a disappointing 4-20 overall record and a 2-6 WCC mark, good for eighth place in the conference.